Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 13:07:49 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 9/29/99
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 9/29/99, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomenwellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Vera Rubin's Letter to Science
2. NSF Announcement - Major Research
3. Jobs
Note from Editor: At this time of year I am getting lots of
returned mail from old accounts being closed and no longer
forwarded and computers being retired. If you have moved
your email to a new computer and/or moved to a new
institution, please email the above address with your old
and new email address so that I can update the list.
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1. Vera's Letter
From: Vera Rubin rubindtm.ciw.edu
Fran Bagenal has suggested I send to aaswomen the letter
which was published in SCIENCE on August 13. She learned of
the letter in the discussion following her talk at the
celebration day for Margaret Kivelson at UCLA on the
occasion of her 70th birthday and her election to the
National Academy of Sciences. The letter was in response to
a book review entitled "Does Sex Matter?" I have heard
from about dozen people, including McGraw Hill, who asked
for permission to publish it in a college textbook. It is
perhaps one of 6 or 8 such letters I have published over the
past 25 years. So perhaps there is a lesson here that
Letters to the Editors can raise interest.
Vera
XXXXXXX
Letters to the Editor
SCIENCE Magazine
Does Sex Matter? (July 23 SCIENCE Books). In Science, as
perhaps in sex, it is the questions that matter. Thus the
question which Dr. Florence Haseltine, the reviewer, had
asked of her by a male "policy wonk", "What contributions
have women made in science that a man could not have made?"
may be the wrong question. Why not ask "What contributions
have men made in science that a woman could not have made?"
It is, of course, the male culture of science which
conditioned him to ask the question he did.
In speaking to science students, I often pose the following
experiment. Listen carefully as you say "There is no
science problem which has been solved by a man which could
not be solved by a woman." Then say, "There is no science
problem which has been solved by a woman which could not be
solved by a man." Do they mean the same thing? And the
students often answer No; the first seems to say that a
woman scientist can be a good as a man. In contrast, the
second seems to say that women solve only simple problems,
which of course a man could solve.
Dr. Haseltine's review was interesting and thoughtful. But
it would have been fun to read what her colleagues would
have said if she had asked "What contributions have men made
in science that a woman could not have made?" Does Sex
Matter? Of course it does. But does it matter enough to
Matter? That's a different question.
Sincerely,
Vera C. Rubin
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2. NSF Announcement - Major Research
From: "Wright, James P." jwrightnsf.gov
The solicitation for the 2000 Major Research Instrumentation
(MRI) competition is now publicly available on the NSF
website . The publication number is 99-
168. You can see the solicitation in the NSF online
document system or on the Office of Integrative Activities
(OIA) homepage.
The deadline for submission of proposals is January 18,
2000. Please note that this deadline is about one month
earlier than last year.
As in the past, all MRI proposals must be submitted
electronically via FastLane. This year we are requiring
proposers to submit the signed cover sheet and all
accompanying documents (letter of cost sharing commitment,
letters of support, manufacturers' quotes, etc.)
electronically by scanning these documents into the
Supplementary Documents section of the FastLane proposal
preparation module and submitting them along with the
proposal. This is a major change in timing since proposers
will have to submit the signed cover sheet electronically
with the proposal rather than five business days later in
hard copy.
If you have any questions about the solicitation, please
contact the Office of Integrative Activities at (703)306-
1040 or mrinsf.gov.
Regards,
Joe Burt, OIA
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3. Jobs
From: Joe Shields shieldshelios.phy.ohiou.edu
TENURE-TRACK FACULTY POSITION IN ASTRONOMY/ASTROPHYSICS
OHIO UNIVERSITY
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Ohio University
seeks to expand its astrophysics faculty by hiring a Tenure-
Track Assistant Professor, to begin September 2000. We are
seeking applicants whose research specialties will
complement and enhance the current program of the
astrophysics group, which includes faculty members Thomas
Statler and Joseph Shields. Research interests currently
represented include structure, dynamics, and evolution of
galaxies, active galactic nuclei, nebular astrophysics, and
X-ray astronomy. The successful applicant will be expected
to maintain an active research program and to teach and
supervise research by both undergraduate and graduate
students. A Ph.D. or equivalent degree and postdoctoral
experience are required. The Department of Physics and
Astronomy has M.S. and Ph.D. programs in physics, with 21
full-time faculty and research emphases in condensed matter
and surface science, nuclear and particle physics,
biophysics, and nonlinear dynamics, in addition to astronomy
and astrophysics. Additional information on the Department
and its programs can be found at http://www.phy.ohiou.edu.
Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a summary of
research activities and plans, a statement of teaching
interests, and a projected startup budget. Applicants
should also arrange for three letters of reference to be
mailed directly to the department. Application materials
should be sent to Prof. Tom Statler, Chair, Astronomy Search
Committee, Ohio University, Department of Physics and
Astronomy, Clippinger Labs 251B, Athens, OH 4501-2979.
Review of applications will begin December 1, 1999. Ethnic
minorities and women are especially encouraged to apply.
Ohio University is an AA/EO employer.
---------------------------------
From: Adrienne Cool coolquark.sfsu.edu
Tenure-Track Faculty Position in Observational Astronomy
Department of Physics and Astronomy
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132
Tel: (415) 338-1655
FAX: (415) 338-2178
Email inquiries: leastars.sfsu.edu
URL: http://www.physics.sfsu.edu/
Attention: Dr. Susan Lea, Search Committee Chair
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at San Francisco
State University solicits applications for a tenure-track
faculty position in observational astronomy. While minimum
requirements are a Ph.D. and one year's postdoctoral
experience, applicants at all levels of experience will be
considered.
The department is committed to excellence in both teaching
and research. We offer Bachelor's and Master's degrees and
seek candidates enthusiastic about mentoring students. The
teaching responsibility is typically three courses per
semester, with the possibility of reduction to two with
external funding. Teaching facilities include a planetarium
and an observatory.
Members of the department traditionally have collaborations
with Bay Area institutions such as UC Berkeley and NASA
Ames, and currently use Keck and Lick Observatories, Hubble
Space Telescope, and Chandra Observatory. We seek
candidates with ongoing research programs that will make a
significant contribution to the overall strength of the
department. The successful applicant is expected to attract
extramural funding for research and teaching efforts.
SFSU, a member of the California State University system,
serves a diverse student body of 27,000. The University's
mission is to promote scholarship, freedom, human diversity,
excellence in instruction, and intellectual accomplishment.
SFSU faculty are expected to be effective teachers and
demonstrate professional achievement and growth through
research, publication, and/or creative activities.
Applications should be received by 1 December 1999. Please
send curriculum vitae, publication list, statement of
interests, and names of three references (with postal and
email addresses). SFSU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Employer. We encourage applications from women and
minorities.
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 9/29/99